From Australia, BuzzPuppy's JDM Super VR-4 Legnum 8G

[BuzzPuppy]

G"Day Everyone,

Just wandered in over "teh interwebz" and spotted this site, and the photo gallery here is a good mix of Diamantes and Galants (google up Magnas and 380's for the Australian equivalent). I used to own a 1995 Magna Wagon (Diamante) and she looked like this...

http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/7164/seth03na8.jpg

http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/4916/seth01qe3.jpg

http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/9996/sethphillipislandki5.jpg

A very slow auto with a carbied 2.6L Astron Motor... more show than "go" but Seth (the car's name, not the Admin!) hauled around the mountain bikes and guitars/amps for a number of years.

Until one day in June 2007, I was flicking through the 'web and saw this for sale:

http://img74.imageshack.us/img74/7170/mitchy01tq5.jpg
-In Japan, at the docks after the Auction.

1998 JDM Super VR-4 Legnum
-1 of only 800 made Pre-Facelift (Series 1) model with factory bodykit
-6A13TT engine (2.5L V6 DOHC with TD03 twin turbos)
-260bhp
-INVECS II (semi auto) transmission
-All Wheel Drive with AYC (Active Yaw Control)
-Recaro/Momo interior (factory option and with VERY red carpets!)
-Factory "privacy glass" and tinted fronts
-Japanese Pioneer Carrozzeria head unit (some fiddling to work with Aussie radio station frequencies)
-A'pexi RSM to do my logging
-Turbo timer (aftermarket)
-57,000km


http://img518.imageshack.us/img518/2636/lokiportsea4kv2.jpg
-interior

http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/4373/supvervr4damage01jw1.jpg
-the reason why it was cheap.

http://img518.imageshack.us/img518/884/soopervr41pm1.jpg
-Driving behind the girl, who's at the wheels taking it home after it arrived in Melbourne (Victoria, Australia) via Brisbane, Queensland (2,000km trip on the back of a truck!) where it originally arrived on the boat. She got to drive it first whilst I trailed behind in the Magna wagon :)

http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/6349/supervr401vr2.jpg
-In my driveway after a quick wash to remove months of dirt from sitting around the docks in Japan

Ok, so the work had to begin to get it road-legal and running!
-The repair of the door and respray of the bodykit.
-Immobiliser/alarm
-Rewire audio for Australian use
-Rewire tiptronic shifter so pulling towards you shifted UP a gear, and pushing for DOWNshifts (felt more natural to me).
-Colour-code the car

More photos to come...

[BuzzPuppy]

Ok, so let's continue where the story left off...

The guy who I bought it from (also a Legnum owner, who'd sold this car to me whilst it was being delivered since he spotted another Legnum to buy!)has a dad who works as a panel-bater and repairs/restores classic Australian cars and after seeing some of his dad's work, it was definitely a good choice to go with.

Into the shop it goes!

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/5633/repairfrontyd5.jpg
-As you can see, not in the best condition!

http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/5108/repairsideuv8.jpg
-Getting the door and rear quarter panel fixed, along with colour-coding

http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/8631/surgery1xj6.jpg
-Working into the night

http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/7038/surgery2wi5.jpg
Letting the clear-coat cure for a while

...and now for the moment I'd been waiting for!

http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/1816/loki1sv0.jpg
-Oh. My. God. Wow...

http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/5124/loki2rm8.jpg

http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/8421/loki3gg1.jpg

http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/2350/loki5oa1.jpg
-Somewhere at 1am in the morning... gently washing the residual dust from the paint before a soft dry (and a peek under the bonnet)

http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/1374/loki6ib0.jpg

http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/4373/supvervr4damage01jw1.jpg
-A comparison for the repair. From this...

http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/9103/loki7eb1.jpg
-...to this!

[BuzzPuppy]

And now it's time for "Extreme MakeOver's" GRAND REVEAL!

http://img162.imageshack.us/img162/2337/lokielwoodmedbw2.jpg

http://img112.imageshack.us/img112/7752/lokielwood2he9.jpg

http://img112.imageshack.us/img112/9860/lokielwood5aq5.jpg

Enjoy!

[Ed]

I like the pics....the car looks good after the visit to the shop!!!

[BuzzPuppy]

heheh cheers :)

They were only allowed for importing into Australia as of middle 2007 last year, whereas the UK and New Zealand had them for years since they were officially sold through dealerships. We're learning as much as we can about the cars, and it's exciting to be there from the beginning!

Come visit us @ www.ozvr4.com anytime to have a peek at the JDM 8G Galants/Legnums, although we have the odd 6G and 7G there too.

[mtcavity1]

Like day and night! Outstanding job and color choice :smt112.

[BuzzPuppy]

LOL only because yours is silver too by the looks of things?

Here's a few from November last year when some of us went for a drive south to see Victoria's rugged southern coastline.

http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/4822/lokiportsea3ha1.jpg

http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/6841/ozvr4cruiseportsea041smjm1.jpg

http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/728/ozvr4cruiseportsea055smyi9.jpg

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/2801/portsea18mi2.jpg
- Mine! Mine! Mine!

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/5752/lokiportsea1th3.jpg

More of them can be found over here (http://ozvr4.com/forums/showthread.php?t=969) :)

[Hodgson316]

wow very nice car and nive paint job!

[beam514]

WOW looks great. Did you color-match the inside of the headlights?

and I am so jealous of you guys

[BuzzPuppy]

Well, the Super VR4's had the interior of the headlights colour-coded from the factory, and they only came in two colours.

Silver and Red.

So the red Super VR-4 had the red colour-coded headlights. It's a definite stand-out over your crystal/black headlight look you know.

[Distort]

Wow. Lovin it.

[99 galant]

very nice work done so far, i wasnt a fan of that style until now. you car is sick

[Strizi81]

Very nice car and got work !

[gtx]

Great looking Legnum!

[dknight3]

wow, car looks really good man, im gunna have to go to that site and check out the red headlights, im curious..

[Goku]

I can't believe you ruined the Super VR-4 kit by colour coding it....

The super VR-4 is ment to stand out, now it just looks plain and boring, like someone tacked the kit onto a regular VR-4....

[Distort]

I can't believe you ruined the Super VR-4 kit by colour coding it....

The super VR-4 is ment to stand out, now it just looks plain and boring, like someone tacked the kit onto a regular VR-4....

Wha? It looked shitty before...

[Goku]

It just needed a respray black on the very front lip, as it looked like it has been scrapped, but they are ment to be black, to make them different from the regular VR-4's, or at least a different colour to contrast.
Maybe if it wasn't silver it would look a bit better, but still....

[mtcavity1]

^^^Looking clean is bad? I like "restoring", but love modification.

Hell anything that will set you apart from the flock is gold in my book.

[Goku]

IMHO is doesn't look clean, it looks plain and uninteresting....

[BuzzPuppy]

We were in definite two minds about the respray on OZVR4 (www.ozvr4.com) and yes, having the black kit is one of the "features" of a Super VR-4. There are actually three Super VR-4 owners in the club and maybe five known existing examples in Australia out of the 800 worldwide. So I actually put it up to a vote on the forums, with 90% of the community saying "yes". Also, "Mitchy" (OZVR4 member) kept his Super VR-4 kit black, so we could have two different examples of the car. The other guy, "Just Plain Nuts" has the EVO-style front bar and is also colour-coded but that was the way it came from Japan.

"Mitchy" and I brought ours over at the same time from Japan. He kept his kit looking stock and it's in great condition but mine was very scuffed and weather-worn.

Here are some links to Mitchy's car:

http://www.ozvr4.com/forums/showthread.php?t=214&page=7
http://www.ozvr4.com/forums/showthread.php?t=214&page=8
http://www.ozvr4.com/forums/showthread.php?t=214&page=11

http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/2752/p1010846largerz7.jpg
-Mitchy's Super VR-4 in Western Australia

"Just Plain Nuts" can be found here:

http://www.ozvr4.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1550

http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh208/justplainnuts_photos/07022008347.jpg
-Just Plain Nuts' Super VR-4 in Queensland

I'm also a fan of anonymity, so I do value the "Q-Ship" factor as well :)

Goku, I did see a red Super VR-4 four years ago in Auckland, NZ (was in Wellington, NZ last weekend for a mate's wedding actually!) and it was awesome with the two-tone look (black bodykit). Also, if you're also a member of www.clubvr4.com, another of your NZ brethren, "Osiris" had a fantastic modded Super VR-4 with the numberplates "VR FOE" which is also worth checking out.

Cheers for all the feedback though guys.

[BuzzPuppy]

Oh yes, the interior!

I don't have a photo, so I'm borrowing one from our forum. Yes, it's very RED and this is how it comes from the factory.

http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh208/justplainnuts_photos/17112007230.jpg

[Goku]

Yep, I'm also a member of Club VR-4 :D

Mitchy's car looks nice and clean. There was a red super for sale on trademe a couple of days ago, and I agree, that is the best colour for the supers.

That evo style kit is called a vouge kit btw, I like the way it makes the VR's look.... gives it a meaner profile.

[bradc]

Goku - I really have to disagree with you on the Super VR-4 kit!

IMHO the unpainted black looks cheap and nasty, like how on all those low end cars with their unpainted door handles and side mirrors where they don't paint parts to make it cheaper.

Colour coded looks so much nicer and the whole car looks like it was 'designed' rather than when the kit is unpainted and stuff is just stuck on, it looks like a cheap nasty ricer car.

[Goku]

The kit is painted though, it's a gloss black

[mrjaydeeone]

looks good. nice car. nice work getting her back together

[Ivory8g]

car looks hawt after the body work and the paint. And maybe it is intended to be black but the key is to be different. if everyone has a black painted kit on their car wont a color matched one stand out more? I think so.....

[SleekGTZ]

Wow, very nice.
I like the color matched kit instead of the original black color. Looks 10x better in my opinion...
http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/2801/portsea18mi2.jpg

[djflex167]

they difinitely did a great job at the shop, great Legnums!

[BuzzPuppy]

*heh* you'll find that on OZVR4 we don't have many Galants at all, our members mainly having Legnums. I think we appreciate the extra boot space (and the fact that there aren't many Galants to import at all!).

Well, I de-badged the car except for leaving the VR-4 on the rear and on the front and as an added bonus, the car had arrived with clear side indicators. The only thing I didn't colour-code in the front bar was the fog light surround, leaving them black so it appears just like the other vents in the front.

Best part is that the vast majority of Aussies have no idea what these cars actually are, so they do get a bit of a surprise when you take off at the lights :)

[lonestar22]

those things are badass, one day ill have one here in america

[Serstylz2]

i want your front end. engine and all

[BuzzPuppy]

Serstylz2, you sure you don't want some of the back end stuff as well?

(not the wagon's ass, more like what's under the floor pan like the AYC good bits) :D

Actually, I've been browsing through the Members' Rides... are there any USDM Legnum equivalents?

[Goku]

Bah, AYC is over rated :D

Give me a mechanical LSD any day.

Ivory8g: Only the super VR-4's have the black kit, so it won't be the same as everyone elses, in fact colour coding it makes it the same as everyone elses :P

[BuzzPuppy]

Goku, it'll wear out eventually, no doubt about it... but until then :D

[galant305]

man, i envy you, i love legnums

[Distort]

Actually, I've been browsing through the Members' Rides... are there any USDM Legnum equivalents?

Shit, I wish. I've been looking for a good wagon for a while now... I'm leaning towards a V70R AWD ... Meh, or just a Subaru Legacy, not for power, and MOST DEFINITELY not the Outback Edition, they are uglllllly.

[Flutterbyfilms]

I think your car looks great. I haven't been a huge fan of Legnum's before, but I think yours looks real nice. Good job.

[BuzzPuppy]

Distort, I was in the same frame of mind when I was looking for a wagon. Needed something with a bit more "oomph" but when the Legnums were made legal to import, NOTHING comes close to performance and features for the money (from AUD$12,000 - AUD$18,000) as long as you're willing to do some of the work yourself (maintenance).

Flutterbyfilms, we barely have any 8G Galants in OZ (maybe about ten or so?) but they're outnumbered 10-to-1 at least by Legnums :D ... it's all based on availability and a number of us have also crossed over from modified Subaru Forester GTs so are used to having the space. Hell, we've even had a member who sold his Honda S2000 to get into one of these Legnums!

You can also check those modded "GT Foz's" out at www.GTrydaz.com (http://www.gtrydaz.com/home/).

I've always loved wagons for their practicality and you do get some disbelieving looks as you whistle on by in something that looks initially like you should be transporting the kids in.

A number of mates are quite surprised when I tell them that it's a ten year old car, with most people thinking it's three to four years old ;)

Oh and just for laughs...

http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/6486/lolgnums3gq1.jpg

Cheers!

[BuzzPuppy]

http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/2859/lokiwashedsmlfu6.jpg
18/6/2008 (yes, day-month-year) Car Wash Meet last night... pretty :)

[vr6]

awesome legnums!

..... someday i will have an 8g galant vr-4 and my galant dreamteam will be complete..... or a r32 nissan skyline whichever comes first hehe!

[Arty_Harvy]

Wow, that last pic was taken on my b-day!!!

[VegasMatt]

Very nice... Please ship it to me in US!! Cheers.

[BuzzPuppy]

Mate, I would love to... it'd give me a chance to hunt down a red Super VR-4 Galant/Legnum!

Yes, I know they're the "slowest" of the VR-4's, what with the extra weight of the kit and other features. Plus being a Series 1 (or pre-facelift model) INVECS II (auto) Legnum, it's been detuned from the factory for only 260bhp. The manuals were running 280bhp and all Series 2 (Facelifts) ran 280bhp.

However, a boost controller and a gauge to keep an eye on spikes plus some other mods can help regain those lost ponies.

http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/6676/interior1vs9.jpg

Running 10psi (up from 6psi!) at the moment to balance more power vs economy since it's my daily driver. I had it on 15psi... Geez it went like a ROCKET with traction control kicking in from 1st gear launch @ 2500rpm but then it started guzzling the good juice like a frat-boy (to use one of your terms :D).

Oh, I also "modded" the car to drop some weight. 10kg (22lbs) dropped by the driver after my trip to Mount Everest Base Camp in April :)

I should dig up the photo. It's the highest that an OZVR4 logo has been (not counting being in an airplane) @ 18,000 feet.

[keta11]

damn bro sexy car. do you know where i can get than rear lip?

[Alexey]

Great pics! :-D

[BuzzPuppy]

Well, let's update the car.

The FMIC has been fitted with hard pipes and it DOES make a difference when you drive :) Here's a few pics to show ya.

http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/9013/x3mbeforehj2.jpg
-The original setup, difference being silicon pipes/stainless steel spring-reinforced type to the OEM rubber originals.

http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/2226/x3mpowersteeringwv9.jpg
-Sexy night shot, with new FMIC and new power steering cooler pipe

http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/4708/x3mafterrq9.jpg
-All fitted and ready to rumble

More pics to come later of it fully fitted :)

All parts are courtesy of X3Emotorsports here in Australia (http://www.x3emotorsports.com/cart/).

[BuzzPuppy]

Oh and I forgot. What it looks like all fitted :)

http://img54.imageshack.us/img54/4162/lokifmic3fj8.jpg

[greddy]

I'm so jealous, you Australian bastards get all the good cars from japan. Car looks fantastic!

[BuzzPuppy]

If you think we have it good, ask the guys in New Zealand who don't have a car industry (we manufacture Toyotas, Holdens (General Motors) and Fords here, some ONLY for the Aussie market) to protect!

[greddy]

I love the Holden Monaro and the inline 6 turbo ford falcon you guys get. I also saw a falcon ute, it was awesome.

[Ruslik]

sick............

[Gtorque]

very nice job on the legnum...new paint looks great! i like the set up 2

[Galante]

Sweet!

[spardavr4]

Damn man I would do anything for that Super VR4 kit.

[BuzzPuppy]

I was thinking in putting up some black mesh to hide the FMIC a little bit so the car wouldn't stand out as much. But as the gurlie says "Babe, it stands out a lot already".

So I ditched that idea :) Besides, bar/plate FMICs can take FAR more of a beating compared to a tube/fin!

[BuzzPuppy]

Took the girl and the dogs away down the south coast (Cape Otway, Victoria, Australia)... good roads for a VR4 :)

http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/4686/lokiotway2mx4.jpg

http://img260.imageshack.us/img260/5731/lokiotway1eh6.jpg

[BuzzPuppy]

We had a cruise last Sunday, and I'm from the state of Victoria in Australia. We had a devastating and tragic bushfire (many lives, 1.1 million acres lost) in February this year. There are some great roads up there and still used by a lot of enthusiasts. Every time we go, we don't take our own BBQs or anything but spend the money (food, fuel) in the towns and communities that rely on the day-tourism business.

CLICK HERE for the site (mooker's own) with the photos (http://www.haey.com/ozvr4/20090621/)

http://www.haey.com/ozvr4/20090621/Img_2558pan_sm.jpg

http://www.haey.com/ozvr4/20090621/Img_2398_sm.jpg

http://www.haey.com/ozvr4/20090621/Img_2524_sm.jpg
Cooling off the Brembos... don't you just love the colour?

http://www.haey.com/ozvr4/20090621/Img_2429_sm.jpg
Yep, that's me at the rear of the pack keeping track of everyone on the radios.

http://www.haey.com/ozvr4/20090621/Img_2434_sm.jpg

http://www.haey.com/ozvr4/20090621/Img_2441pan_sm.jpg

http://www.haey.com/ozvr4/20090621/Img_2463_sm.jpg

http://www.haey.com/ozvr4/20090621/Img_2513_sm.jpg

http://www.haey.com/ozvr4/20090621/Img_2388_sm.jpg

http://www.haey.com/ozvr4/20090621/Img_2539_sm.jpg
A crew-shot of the drivers and cars (we lost one car... hit a rock wall on a wet corner) I'm on the far right with my Super ;)

[BuzzPuppy]

Well, it's calendar-shoot time over @ OZVR4. Hadn't updated this for a while, but this has quickly become a favourite photo of mine :)

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/9691/buzzpuppysupervr4legnum.jpg
(photo taken 16th Sept 2009)

Cheers!

[Galantfan88]

Sexy ass car man!!!!!

[ShiZnitH]

Looks good :)

[Tomukas999]

sick car, very nice :FIREdevil:..

[BuzzPuppy]

Well, I've now had the car for three years as of this month :)

Love it too much to even part with it. The missus and I are buying a house and I made sure the driveway was flat (lowered cars, bodykits, etc). The reason why I also love the girl is she didn't dream of asking me to sell the car to make up the house deposit, we just waited and saved a bit longer!

[99 galant]

And thats the way it should be! haha, congrads